


Just A Little Fun

by starr65748



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Everyone Is Gay, Freeform, Like, Multi, Non-Binary Frisk, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Papyrus is oblivious as FUCK, Rating May Change, Robot/Human Relationships, Roommates, Slow Burn, cook offs will be a thing, frustrated robot, human skelebros, idk how to tag stuff, really frustrated, sans is hella protective of his bro, surface AU, undyne is a good friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-04-30 13:04:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5164877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starr65748/pseuds/starr65748
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So far, the surface had been nothing but boring and uncomfortable for Mettaton. No lights, no stage, no audience. It was all incredibly trying. </p><p>That is, until Alphys tells him of two humans, brothers named Sans and Papyrus, have agreed to take them in. After days of boredom, and after noticing just how oblivious the younger brother was, Mettaton decided it was time for a game of 'let's see just how much we can fluster the human.'</p><p> It doesn't go as planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The first glimpse of the Surface Mettaton had witnessed was from one of Alphys' many Human History books. With its giant structures, trees covered in soft, pink petals, and beautiful people wearing outfits that surpassed even his most extravagant demands, it felt like a treasure trove of new and exciting beginnings to him. A place he had dreamed of. His EX design had been based off a bot from one of the history books, so he was sure to fit in, yet stand out, thanks to his monstrous background.

The reality he was currently facing however, was… Underwhelming. To say the least. 

During the first week on the Surface, Alphys had demanded that he stay in the shelter in which he and a group of other monsters had been provided with. There must have been at least fifty of them, bunched in together, trying not to get in each other's way, going about their new lives in a solitary manner. According to a report given by a human presenter, shown on one of the small TVs dotted around the place, there were many more shelters just like theirs, each as cramped and bustling as the next.

Blankets, pillows and bags covered the floors. The stench of mothballs, as the humans who came in every know and then called them, filled the air, making breathing without his air filter set to high, almost impossible. Straining lightbulbs tried valiantly to immerse the room in a friendly glow, but did nothing but attract swarms of moths.

Mettaton hated it. Here, he was just another nobody. Sure, he still captured the attention of every monster in a ten metre radius, but it wasn't the same. There was nowhere to perform, no adoring crowd to perform to. No spotlight. There was no glamour, no spark, none of the things he craved. 

The only thing he took solace in were the brief conversations he had with the ex Royal Scientist (him whining and pleading to leave 'this glorified dungeon'), and the fact that he had happened to be placed in the same shelter as his former employee, Burgerpants. When he wasn't answering questions presented to him by fans, or signing MTT brand clothing and people's faces, he was prodding at the poor creature like they had never been freed from the Underground in the first place. And even that stopped being fun after the sixth day.

But now, as he sat on the blanket-strewn floor, staring up into a pair of slightly crooked glasses, a glimmer of hope sparked in his chest.

"Alphys darling, you are serious, yes?"

The reptilian lady in front of him was hopping from foot to foot, her hands shaking excitedly as she delivered the best news he had heard in a long time.

"Yes! They said we can stay for as long as we need, and they'll even help us find employment!" Alphys was trembling slightly. "Th-they might even be able to help Undyne get accomod-dation! And Metta! Guess what?"  
Mettaton arched an eyebrow. "Surely it can't be better than what you've already told me." He paused before raising his voice slightly, "or can I really keep my favourite worker with me for ever and ever?" A loud choking sound was heard from Burgerpants' corner of the room, and the robot congratulated himself, before turning back to Alphys, and stretching sensually, on his blanket, purely to unnerve her.

It had the desired effect. Her cheeks turned bright red, and she coughed hurriedly. "Um, w-well that wasn't what I h-h-had in mind." She shook her head and slapped both hands to her cheeks, like a human from one of those human cartoons she watched so often, muttering sternly to herself before pushing her glasses up her snout. "What I was going to say, is this." She paused for affect. "Mettaton, they know Frisk!"

"They what?" Mettaton jumped up onto his feet, grasping Alphys by the shoulders. Several heads turned towards them thanks to his exclamation. "How is that possible? Are you sure? Positive? Maybe Frisk is just a really popular human name! They could be tricking us! Alphys, we must go undercover and investigate these Font Brothers!" He posed thoughtfully. "But why would they want to deceive-"

"Mettaton!" The scientist waved her hands in front of her, in an attempt to stop his antics. "Mettaton, Frisk was there! They convinced the brothers to take us in!"

The robot paused and ran a hand through his luscious hair, before jutting his hips to the side and crossing his arms. He did miss the little devil, even though his defeat to the human was not something he thought of lightly. He had thought himself indestructible before they had shown up, but had been taken down by no less than a low battery. The fact that these two humans might have also heard of his failure soured his thoughts. He had wanted to make a big first impression on the human population new, without a ruined reputation to nullify his efforts. Low battery power could go shove a nice cream up its obtrusive arse. 

Alphys straightened her spectacles with her claws and cleared her throat. "They are coming to pick us up in half an hour, so you should try and get e-everything sorted out before then. Your bags and such, that is. I'll get you when they arrive."

"Yes, thank you darling. It is very much appreciated." He flashed her a grin before turning and surveying the room for the last time. Both hands out above his head, both heeled boots spread evenly apart, the robot took a deep breath, before exclaiming, "Darlings and Gentledarlings! Welcome and thank you to all! To those of you who did not just hear, I, your favourite host, shall be leaving for a human household in the next thirty minutes!"

Alphys sighed and walked off, as a collective gasp rose from the crowd that began to assemble around him. "We'll miss you Mettaton!" "I love you Mettaton!" "What will my family do now without your guidance?"

The robot brought a hand to his chest and pretended to wipe a tear from his glass eye. "Fret not Beauties, for I shall not leave you for long. You shall be seeing me on the human's entertainment channels, I guarantee it! Whether it be fashion or action, romance or horror, you will still see this gorgeous face everywhere you look, in no time at all!" He waved, as people began to cheer. Flowers and clothing were thrown, tears were shed. Only a matter of time before I'm truly back on the stage, Mettaton reassured himself. And he truly believed it.

After everyone had finished throwing themselves at him, he began to gather his belongings, which consisted of a full-length portable mirror (a clever thing Alphys had made at his request. It shrunk to the size of a wrist watch upon demand), a charging port, and a mixtape labeled 'Blooky's Tunes.' Unfortunately he had yet to come across a cassette player on the Surface. Perhaps the Font Brothers owned one. He deposited the items into a bright pink shoulder bag.

Knowing that he would finally be rid of this place filled him with anticipation. He could finally get a proper view of the Surface, discover what human houses looked like, maybe even find Napstablook and Shyren and secure them a place on stage, where he longed to be. Where he belonged.

Because he had accompanied Alphys through the Barrier, he and his cousin had arrived on the surface at different times, and had yet to contact each other. It was one of his priorities of course. The thought of the poor ghost alone in a shelter, surrounded by people and movement, scared him more than a little.

Instead of continuing down this path of worry, he began to wonder about his new housemates. Two brothers living by themselves, Sans and Papyrus. They had met with Alphys twice now, but she had yet to tell him anything other than the fact that they had welcomed the whole 'monsters on the Surface' thing with open arms. Well, one of them had. The other had been rather cautious about the whole situation. Which was understandable, Mettaton supposed. It did nothing to make him feel welcome however, despite Alphys' reassurance.

Mettaton swaggered over to the shelter door, bag in tow, and leant against the wall beside it, making sure to look standoffish yet enticing as he waited for his ride.

A few minutes went by. A fly landed on his shoulder plate. He brushed it off.

A kid wearing a bright yellow jumper ran up to him. "Yo, you're really Mettaton, aren't you?"

Mettaton chuckled. After EX had premiered, many monsters had believed it all to be a ruse of some sort. There was no way something as beautiful as that could possibly exist, after all.

"That I am, Gorgeous, that I am." He posed for the kid, who's eyes lit up. "Unfortunately, I have to make an exit very soon, so if there is something you're after…"

The small yellow monster squeezed their eyes shut, their whole face scrunching up. "Yo! Mettaton, I want you to know that you're my best hero! I want to be as glamorous as you when I grow up! I wanna inspire everyone like you did!" 

Mettaton was almost too stunned by the sudden outburst to speak. The kid cracked one eye open, then the other.

"Darling, everyone wants to be me," Mettaton purred. Fans like these were his favourites. You could practically smell the devotion radiating off them. "Who knows, I might even let you star in one of my upcoming performances."

The kid's jaw dropped lower than the robot had thought to be physically possible. "Dude… Are you… Do you really mean that?" 

Lying to make fans happy was one of his many talents. "Of course I do, Darling. Anything for my special fan, right?"

"Right! Yo, dude, I have to tell everyone about this! Wow! I really met Mettaton!" The robot watched the little yellow monster as they turned around and promptly fell on their face, before picking themself up and running through the crowd yelling, "Yo, I did it! I really did it!"

Mettaton sighed and rearranged himself against the wall. As much as he loved the attention, he just wanted to be rid of this place. The sooner the Font Brothers arrived, the better.

His bag started buzzing. He reached in and pulled out the phone Alphys had made for him so long ago. The screen read 'Number Unknown.' He accepted the call nonetheless.

Before he could inquire as to whom the number belonged, a bored voice spoke in to the other end. "Hey. Are you Mettaton? Alphys said to call you when we got here. So if you're all packed, we can head home now."

"As lovely as that proposition sounds, I haven't the faintest as to who you might be, Darling."

"Right. I'm Sans. My brother Papyrus and I will be hosting you until you and Alphys get a place of your own. She did tell you about us, right?"

"Ah, Mr. Font. I'll be seeing you outside." Mettaton sighed in relief and picked up his bag.

"K. We're the ones in the really red convertible. Hard to miss it, even if you tried." There was a pause. "Hang on, Papyrus wants to say hi."

"Greetings Mettaton!" The most energetic voice the robot had ever heard blasted from the speaker. He winced. The voice continued. "It is I, your new roommate, the great Papyrus-hey! I wasn't finished!"

Sans cleared his throat. "My brother is convinced that you're gonna wanna share a room with him, but we'll sort out sleeping arrangements once we get home. Now get your ass out here so we can get a move on." 

Mettaton smiled. They seemed nice enough, even if Papyrus did seem a bit overbearing. He would simply have to set some boundaries, or do some of the overbearing himself if it came to it. 

"Got it, Sans Darling," he purred into the receiver. Sans hung up with a chuckle. Gotta get that first impression down and over with, he decided, and opened the door. Or, well, flung it open, would be more accurate. 

The blinding sunlight hit his sensors hard, and he shielded his uncovered eye. He hadn't spent much time under the sun's burning rays, nor did he feel any desire to. The spotlight would do for now. Let other light sources shine upon those less fortunate than he. The Surface was turning out to be a lot less comfortable than he had hoped. But maybe that would change now.

"There you are!" Alphys was behind him, pulling a bulky suitcase with her. She was panting slightly, tail dragging as she leant against the door frame. "Th-they're here! I hope you're ready."

Mettaton clicked his tongue at her. "Alphys Alphys Alphys. I was born ready!" He posed dramatically. Alphys shot him a glare. "That look! You wound me, Darling."

"Okay okay just go already!" She practically pushed him out of the door. "Sans said they were in a red convertible," she muttered, eyes sweeping across the almost empty carpark in front of them. The paving was covered in cracks, with large gray-bark trees here and there, roots disrupting the tarmac. The shelter was surrounded by bushland, prickly-looking plants and yellow grass that grew from the red-brown soil. The heat was unbearable. 

"Oh oh there they are!" Alphys exclaimed, charging towards the vehicle with her tail held high, bag dragging along the ground. Mettaton strutted after her, dazzling smile plastered onto his face. "Guys guys! W-we're here!"

As he approached, Mettaton saw two figures emerge from the sleek red car. One was quite short, and was wearing a hoody, despite the sweltering heat. Dark curls covered the top of his head. And where those… Slippers? He leant against the car door and simply offered a slight wave to welcome them. Sans, he presumed.

The other man, however, was practically bounding towards them. He switched to an energetic stride halfway. Papyrus, Mettaton figured, was much more sensibly dresses, in shorts and a baggy tee-shirt, which only made his lanky form all the more skinnier. The shirt read 'COOL DUDE.' It was the worst shirt he had ever seen. His dark hair was cropped close to his head, and his eyes were covered by a giant pair of sunglasses. How tacky. He was grinning widely at Alphys.

"Alphys! We are here to transport you and your friend to your new home!" Yep, that was Papyrus alright. As far as first impressions went, well, the robot was far from impressed. But he couldn't let that show. He'd be living with the man. Plenty of time to instruct him on his fashion choices in the future. "And you must be Mettaton! Alphys as told me so much about you!" He clapped a large hand down on Mettaton's shoulder. The grin was replaced by a cautious frown. "Is it true? That you're actually the most famous person in the Underground?"

Mettaton smirked. Papyrus sounded like that kid from earlier. Innocent and oblivious. He figured he might as well have some fun with him. "Of course of is, Sweetheart. It's hard not to be famous when you're as gorgeous as this!" He gestured to himself with a flourish, winking slowly, making sure to drag his hand down his side, not so that it was too obvious, but obvious enough.

Papyrus' smile returned but other than that, he seemed completely unaffected. Mettaton frowned. "Wowie! I'm gonna be living with a celebrity!" As they approached the car, he called out, "Sans! Did you just hear what Mettaton said? He's famous! Can you believe it?"

"Nice, bro." Sans chuckled at his brother's enthusiasm. He winked at the robot, who offered a smirk in return, and held his head a little higher. Good to know the Font Brothers understood who they were dealing with, here. Or, thought they were dealing with, at least.

Papyrus rounded on Alphys when they reached the car. "You really made him? With your own hands?" He whispered. Mettaton still heard. Advanced hearing. Helps. Then again, so did the fact that Papyrus wasn't exactly quiet, even when he wanted to be.

"Uh yes!" Alphys squeaked out. "W-well, I made his body, at least!"

"That's amazing! I wish I could make a robot as sexy as that!" 

Alphys spluttered and Sans raised his eyebrows. "Damn Paps. Maybe we should have taken in a robot housemate sooner!"

"I—well I only meant that—!"

"Nah Bro, I get it."

"Oh. You do? Thank god!" Papyrus' cheeks were bright red.

Mettaton smirked. This could be more fun than he thought it would.

"Um, why don't we get everything in the c-car?" Alphys said, causing Papyrus to exhale and nod. He seemed relieved by the change in subject.

"Yes! Alphys, I, the great Papyrus shall take your luggage!" He opened the car's boot, then attempted to lift the colossal suitcase off the road, only to give up seconds later. "This, uh, might take a while, I think…"

Mettaton chuckled and came to stand next to the young man. He gestured for him to move aside, and lay his hang on the humans shoulder. "Allow me," he all but whispered into his ear. 

"Sure!" Papyrus happily handed him the bag's handle. Again, Mettaton's words had had no effect, even when laced with the most sultry of undertones. And yet he had been a blushing mess seconds ago. It was all starting to confuse him. And that made him all the more determined to fluster the man. Somehow.

Sans cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows again, but this time he was not smiling. Glaring, more like. Well, that was fine. He was protective of his brother. Mettaton could respect that. It just meant that he would have to sacrifice any good standings he had with Sans, which he was perfectly fine with, really. He looked harmless anyway. Even though that glare was something fierce.

The bag was incredibly heavy, as though Alphys had decided to bring her whole lab with her. Considering her dimensional boxes, this idea was not that improbable.

"S-sorry," she mumbled, as though reading his thoughts. "I just didn't want to leave anything behind…"

"Its perfectly fine, Darling," Mettaton assured her. "Its not even that heavy!" Benefits of being a robot: the ability to seeming pick up things with ease. Using more effort than he would ever admit, he deposited the suitcase into the back of the car. He glanced at his own possessions. Time to start testing the tall human. "Papyrus, Darling. Could you please get my bag from over there?"

"Of course!" He grabbed the bright pink bag and strode over to where the robot stood. "Here you are! Delivered by yours truly! If you ever need me to carry something for you, don't hesitate to ask." He pressed his thumb to his chest. "I Papyrus, shall not fail you, friend! …Uh… We are friends, aren't we?" The poor thing looked genuinely confused.

Mettaton sauntered closer, so that they were merely inches apart. Papyrus looked tempted to walk backwards, but was prevented by the side of the car, as a gloved hand reached for his chin and held it in place. He fixed the human with his most piercing look. "Sweetheart," he purred, "any friend of Alphys is a friend of mine." He tried to hold eye contact for as long as possible, but those glasses were really putting him off.

"Oh! Good! I'm glad!" Mettaton's hand dropped to his side, as he stared at the man incredulously. "Then I shall be the best friend you have ever had! We can cook together, have pillow fights, I can braid your…" At this point he had stopped listening. He took a step back. Then another. He glanced at the other two.

Alphys' eyes were so wide he thought they might drop out of their sockets. She was blushing furiously and pointedly averted her gaze when she saw Mettaton look at her. Sans however, was smiling, which was unexpected, considering how he had reacted to the robot's previous advances.

Then he noticed it was different this time. It was a cold smile. His blue eyes seemed to shine, as though warning him they could cut through Mettaton in one flash of bright light. He shivered and turned back to Papyrus, who was still talking.

"…spaghetti, right, Mettaton?" He seemed to be waiting for an answer.

"Of-of course, yes Darling."

"Wonderful! I'll make a much as I can!" He beamed at Mettaton, another genuine smile. "Well everyone! We'd better leave sooner than later!"

"Agreed. Come on guys, let's get outa here." Sans climbed behind the wheel. Papyrus complained that it was his car, so he should be the driver. Sans waved him off, and the taller human dejectedly sat in the back, legs cramped behind the front seat.

"Mettaton!" he yelled. "Come and sit with me!"

"Sure Darl—"

"Hey Mettaton. Maybe you should let Alphys sit with my bro for now. You can sit in the front."

"Ah, Sans, m-maybe Mettaton should sit w-with Pa—"

Mettaton cut her off. "No, I shall sit with Sans."

Sans grinned. "Ya see Buddy? I'm not all that bad. Hey, what's a robot's favourite type of music?" 

"Well, I personally enjoy—"

"Heavy METAL!"

Papyrus groaned, and Mettaton found himself genuinely laughing at the terrible joke. Alphys was snorting behind him. He'd have plenty of time to unsettle Papyrus once they reached their destination. For now he decided to simply enjoy being with this strange company of which he now found himself in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come, Darlings!


	2. Chapter 2

The car ride was much longer than Mettaton would have liked, and he was incredibly uncomfortable. This was mainly due to the sweltering heat that was causing his internal fans to work faster than he had thought possible. The last time he had overheated had not been fun, for anyone involved and he prayed he wouldn't have to go through that again.

The bush and scrub gradually transformed into a small township, full of white picket fences and neatly trimmed hedges. Expensive-looking cars were parked along the roadside. Not what he had been expecting from the Font Brothers. It was… Nice, surprisingly. 

The majority of their journey had consisted of more of Sans' puns, and an awkward conversation between Papyrus and Alphys about the reality (or lack of there of) of anime. While Mettaton would have loved to join in, he had been distracted by the overhead mirror. Plus the looks Sans had been shooting him weren't making him feel all too safe. He passed the rest of the drive by coming up with an intro to his Surface debut.

Which would have been easier if Papyrus' voice had ceased interrupting him every couple of seconds. The human wasn't particularly loud (well… That wasn't all true), but every time he heard the man's voice, a bubble of annoyance would pop in his head. His thoughts kept straying back to their meeting in the carpark, the utter obliviousness expressed by the tall human confounding him. Maybe human courtship was different to that of monsters, and he had just been going at it from the wrong angle.

But Sans… Sans had obviously seen what Mettaton was doing, judging by the death glare that had been drilled into his metallic skull. He shivered. Maybe Sans misunderstood Mettaton's intentions. It wasn't as if he was actually hoping to enter a relationship with Papyrus, or for anything of the sort to occur. He wasn't even that attracted to him, even if he was quite handsome, for a human. He had merely been looking for something to curb his boredom, and this had seemed like the perfect opportunity.

But if that was all it was, why could he not stop thinking about it? He would have to try harder, that's all. Maybe even approach Alphys for advice on human courtship. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure out what he was doing wrong. Most people were reduced to a lovestruck mess after even just glancing at Mettaton. But not Papyrus.

"And here we are." Sans' smooth voice broke through his thoughts. They had parked out the front of a large, red brick building. A warm glow came from the windows, which would have been comforting, if the car hadn't have been smothered in heat already. It was two stories tall, with a large wooden shed sitting next to it. The shed door looked like it had just been painted on, as well as the windows.

Alphys had clambered out of the car and had gone to open the boot, when Papyrus gasped. "Sans! You were supposed to be at work sixteen minutes ago! If you continue this streak of lateness, your employer may think twice about letting you keep your job. You'll have to go back to working at that awful hot dog stand!" Papyrus huffed.

"Hey, there was nothing wrong with that hot dog stand!" Sans smirked. "Okay, Bro. You show the monsters around and I'll head off." He made no indication that he would be moving from his seat anytime soon.

Mettaton frowned. "They allow you to work like that?" He gestured to Sans' attire and raised an eyebrow.

"I keep telling him he should wear something different," Papyrus muttered. "He's just too lazy to change his clothes."

"Gotta keep up appearances somehow," Sans countered, shrugging.

By now, Alphys had unloaded all the luggage and was waiting patiently, giggling at something on her phone. She looked up, and quickly stowed the device back into her coat pocket when she saw Mettaton and Papyrus emerge from the car. The robot noticed the blush that had crept onto her face. Undyne, he guessed. The Royal Guard's texts often had that effect on Alphys.

"Ah to be young and in love," he teased, sauntering over to her.

"I-I don't know what you m-mean." She averted her gaze and fiddled with the sleeve of her lab coat. "Undyne just wanted to know if we had made it out of the sh-sh-shelter safely!"

Bingo. "Oooh. Poor poor Alphys." Mettaton sighed dramatically, daintily pressing a finger to his temple. Both the fish and the reptile had yet to realise their feelings were mutual, and while the tension was entertaining, he wished one would make a proper move on the other before they both blew their chances.

"Who's Undyne?" Papyrus asked. "That sounds like a cool name. They must be very cool too, then!"

"No one! She's no one! Just… Just an acquaintance of mine! But you are correct. She's really really cool! And very strong! And really good at beating up bad people! And nice and pretty! And—" Alphys cut herself off before she could go any further, blushing furiously.

"Wowie! I'll have to meet her!" 

The scientist nodded meekly.

Sans waved at them from the car, and drove off, leaving them in his brother's care. Now that the shorter human was gone, Mettaton could focus on wooing Papyrus.

 

The Font Brother's house was extremely clean for the most part, aside from the messy piles of clothing here and there, which were covered in post-it notes that mostly said, "SANS. YOU MUST CLEAN UP THIS MESS IMMEDIATELY." The bags were left in the lounge room.

"Adorable place you have here, Darling."

Alphys nodded. "It is very nice. Um, about the sleeping arrangements and so on. We agreed that I would have the guest room, yes?"

"Yes! And Mettaton will be sharing with me!"

"Mmm this sounds quite agreeable," the robot mused. "Care to take me to the bedroom, Gorgeous?" He let his tongue slide against his top lip and congratulated himself as Papyrus' eyes followed the movement.

"I-I'll leave you two to it," Alphys muttered, and headed down the hallway.

Once she had left, Papyrus let out a sigh. "Mettaton. I can see what you're trying to do here."

To say he was surprised was accurate. "Oh. Well, Darling I—"

"And I want you to know that as your new best friend, I am here to help in any way you need!"

"Help? With… What, exactly?"

"Winning over Dr. Alphys, of course!" Mettaton's eyes bulged. Impossible. How on earth had the human come to this conclusion? "I could tell from the moment I saw you two! You're completely head over heels aren't you?"

"Papyrus, Darling, I think you're looking at it slightly wrong. You see—"

"I wonder if it is weird for a robot to have romantic feelings for the person who created them? Don't you think its weird, Mettaton? What if you're malfunctioning?"

"These 'feelings' I have for Alphys are purely platonic, I assure you." 

Papyrus gave him a sympathetic smile. "You don't have to lie to me, Mettaton. I am your friend, and will be there for you, no matter what. In fact, I am saddened that you believe you can't talk to me about these things."

"That would be because there is nothing to talk about," Mettaton ran a gloved hand through his hair and sighed. This argument was going nowhere. "Just take me to my room."

Papyrus raised his eyebrows suspiciously. "Very well. I shall give you the benefit of the doubt this time, Mettaton. I trust you. All friendships need trust, after all! Now follow me!" They ascended a flight of stairs and came to a standstill in front of a door. The door was covered in caution tape and other such things.

Papyrus' room was not what Mettaton had been expecting. He had imagined a plain room, neat and tidy, no unnecessary clutter. Instead, he found his eyes being assaulted by the sheer amount of red and orange. Everything was flame patterned, the walls, the carpet, even a lampshade that sat next to a large, car-shaped bed.

Papyrus stood proudly in the doorway. "Welcome, Mettaton, to your new room!"

The robot strutted over to the bed, before draping himself onto it, and posing seductively on his side, eyes lidded. He made sure to do this in every house he visited, even Undyne's. Her piano hadn't been particularly comfortable.

The human was watching him suspiciously from the doorway, and Mettaton chuckled. "Hmm why do you look so worried, Darling?" He trailed a finger down his own side and raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that you're finally realising the price you'll have to pay by letting someone as beautiful as I into your life?" He let his hand rest on his hip.

"Mettaton." Papyrus seemed hesitant as he approached the bed. He was blushing. Mettaton smirked.

"Mmm yes, Darling?" Suddenly a wave of exhaustion hit him and he fell onto the mattress unceremoniously. Now he was the one blushing.

Papyrus looked concerned, but answered him anyway. "Your eye. It's flashing!"

"Why thank you—oh shit!" He lunged of the bed and towards the door. His body had become sluggish and heavy and he clung to the doorframe for support. "Papyrus, Darling. I'm… Running out of battery. Th—the charger is in my bag downstairs. Please. I need it…"

Papyrus said something, but Mettaton was too busy trying to stay upright to listen.

Everything was becoming blurred and Mettaton could hear a beeping somewhere. He dragged himself back to the bed. The beeping followed him. As he collapsed onto the flame-covered blanket, he felt himself shutting down. He took deep breaths to steady himself. The blanket smelled nice. He smiled lazily and snuggled into it, sighing as his eyes slid shut and he lost consciousness.

 

When he woke, a warm hand was pressed against his forehead, brushing his bangs out of his face. It was soothing. He pushed up into the touched and hummed happily.

"You're… Awake?"

He cracked open an eye and saw Papyrus lying beside him, wearing a pair of baggy pajamas that were covered in skeletons. He looked relieved. The curtains were drawn, and the light off. The room was filled with a pleasing glow, coming from the bedside light.

"Hey there, Darling," Mettaton murmured. "I didn't expect to be waking up beside you so soon." He wagged his eyebrows. The human just looked confused. The hand continued to stroke his hair.

"Where else would you be waking up?"

"Well, I assumed I'd have my own bed by now."

Mettaton looked past Papyrus, expecting to see another bed, or at least a mattress for him to sleep on. There were no extra beds, nor mattresses to be found. He began to panic. "I have to share with you? Sleep next to you?" The tremor in his voice must have been more obvious than he had hoped. 

"You don't have to worry! I don't snore, or move a round a lot." He paused. "Much." He smiled at Mettaton. "It'll be fine!"

No, he thought, no it won't. Mettaton had never been good at spending prolonged periods of time alone with one person. At first, it was fine, and he could show off to his heart's desire, perform and pose. But after a while, it would start to get awkward. He would start to slip up here and there, tripping over his words, making a fool of himself. Even making casual banter with Alphys could be taxing. Having to sleep next to another person, going to bed with them, waking up with them; it worried him. It felt too… Domestic. Not that waking up to Papyrus' face every morning would be a bad thing…

He shook the thought out of his head. It wouldn't do to start behaving like this. 

"Are you okay, Mettaton?" Papyrus inquired. The robot smiled at the genuine concern expressed by the human.

"I will be for now, gorgeous. Just a little tired…"

His eyelids were beginning to droop again, and he let the warmth from Papyrus' hand and the comfort soft pillow under his head, lull him back to sleep.

Or, at least he tried to sleep.

He really did.

Papyrus retracted his hand from Mettaton's forehead. The room, like every other place he had experienced on the surface, was beginning to overheat. He shifted uncomfortably.

A click. There went the lamp. The bed dipped next to him as Papyrus made himself comfortable. The robot squirmed even more. "Night night, Mettaton." The human's voice sounded close to his ear and he shivered. Did he realize how close they were on his small bed? Probably not.

He heard a sigh from beside him. "You're probably already asleep, but I'll talk anyway. When we heard that the monsters had destroyed the barrier, my brother and I were terrified. Well, I wasn't actually terrified. I just said that to make Sans feel better about himself. Obviously." He paused, and Mettaton turned to face him, regulating his breathing, keeping his eyes shut. It would be better if the human thought he was sleeping.

"I was curious about the monsters. People would only ever talk about how bad they were, but they couldn't be all that bad, could they?" Well, some of them certainly were.

"I told my brother that I wanted to get to know one of these monsters. He was hesitant, but said it could be an eye opening experience for him, too.

"Then we heard about the shelters. There aren't many shelters in our part of the country, and so the monsters had begun to seek accommodation with humans. I told Sans I wanted to help one of these monsters, to let them stay with us. After I bugged him about it for days, he agreed to it.

"Then we met Alphys, and she told us that you two wanted a place to stay! And apparently you guys know Frisk and Chara." Mettaton didn't mention that he had never heard of this Chara person. Papyrus paused again.

"This may be a surprise, but I… I don't have many friends," he murmured. "That's really why I wanted to have a monster stay with us. I figured that they would realize how great I am, and tell all their monster friends about me, that I would become a hero to them, or something. 

"I can tell that that isn't going to happen. I should have known, really. But I was able to meet you and Alphys, and we're already great friends! So, thank you, is what I am trying to say."

He stopped talking. Mettaton waited for his next words, but got gentle snores instead. He rolled over, and stared at the ceiling. It was covered in tiny, glowing stars. They reminded him of his home in Waterfall. The familiarity of it brought him comfort and he smiled, before letting sleep take him once again.

 

Something heavy and warm was on him, covering his side. That was the first thing he noticed when he woke, that morning. Without opening his eyes, he tried to push the thing, which he guested was Papyrus. The thing moved right back onto him with a grunt. Mettaton opened his eyes to find Papyrus' arm, and half of his upper body, slung over Mettaton's chest. He felt warmth creep into his cheeks. He was caught in a strangely comfortable one-armed hug. Papyrus' head was resting on his arm, making it impossible to move without waking him.

He looked so peaceful. Mettaton didn't want to disturb him. But he had to make it out of this situation somehow. He attempted to push the human off gently. Papyrus only snuggled closer. He sighed and ran a hand over his eyes. Feeling the human next to him was more enjoyable than he would ever admit, which is it had to stop. 

He wondered if a situations like this had implications on the Surface like they did Underground? Implications of romantic domestication. Did Papyrus know how much this was messing with the robot's head? 

It should be him in this position, not Mettaton. He should be the one getting flustered, by all of this, but no. there he was, sleeping quietly, his breath blowing softly onto Mettaton's side. It tickled a little.

It seemed he would have to wake Papyrus. Well, he was right there. It shouldn't be too hard. He stared lightly poking the humans head. Nothing happened. He poked harder. This seemed to work.

Papyrus opened is eyes to find a bemused Mettaton staring down at him. The robot raised an eyebrow. "Do you expect a good morning kiss, too?" 

The human quickly detached himself, blushing. Finally, Mettaton thought.

"Oh Darling, if you wanted me that badly, all you had to do was ask!" The blushing increased. "I'm joking, sweetheart," he chuckled.

The man next to him cleared his throat and was averting his gaze. "Well it was very hot—"

"I'm sure it was." Mettaton winked. Papyrus sputtered.

"Th-thats not what I meant! The temperature of the room was very high, and, well, you're made of metal, which is cool, so—" The poor man was tripping over his words. 

Mettaton slid off the bed. The clock on the wall read 9:38am. "It's alright, Sweetheart. No need to explain yourself. I understand." He winked again, before realising how weird it must look when his other eye was covered by his hair. Papyrus probably just thought he blinked a lot. "It's getting late. We should probably go downstairs."

 

Sans was waiting for them in the lounge. "Hey you two. We have some guests here. Alphys is with them right now, in the kitchen." He took a long sip from the cup he was holding. "Apparently you've met them already."

Papyrus gasped. "The twins are here already? I thought you said they weren't going to be here until this afternoon!"

Sans grinned. "Oops." He put his cup down on the counter. "Mettaton, I want to talk to my bro for a bit. You go and see Frisk and Chara."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chara and Frisk are both agender btw.
> 
> I stay up way too late whenever I write this thing.


End file.
